Supply system for electric railways



(No ModeL) A.O. GREHORE.

SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No: 536,828. Patented Apr. 2, 1895.

v f M & J I 1 .11 w/ STA ES ALBERT OUSHING CREHORE, OF ITHACA", NEW YORK.

SUPPLY SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC'RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,828, dated April 2, 1895. Application filed July 22.1893- Serial Np.4:8]. 166' (No model.)

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ALBERT CUSHING ORE- HORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Electrical Railway System, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to those electric rail? way systems wherein the working conductor from which the car takes its motive current by .a suitable trolley or current collecting device,

is divided into any desired number of sections that are normally disconnected from the power or mainline, and are automatically thrown into and out ofconnection with said line as the car passes from one section to another by the use of electro-magnetic switches. I

The aim of my invention is to permit the switches to be operated 'by magnets energized directly from the main or power line or circuit without employing secondary batteries or other generators on the car or vehicle and yet to preserve an absolute insulation of the several sections of working conductor from said line at all times excepting when the car is taking current from a section while permitting thecar to be driven in either direction from one section to another.

A further object of the invention is to retain the connection of any section with the power line even when the motorman opens the continuously energized from the main line over a circuit independent of the controlling devices which are employed for throwing the motor out of operation and independent of the condition of the switch magnets of any adjoining section. Preferably, in carrying out my invention, I make this independent circuit a branch from the power circuit on the car taken therefrom at a point between the trolley or collecting device and the motor, and complete the branchor independent circuit by an auxiliary or independent conductor with which a trolley or contact carried by the car preserves connection. 7 The said auxiliary or independent conductor, I preferably also divide up into insulated sections.

While it is generally preferable to employ an auxiliary line of conductors independent of therails upon which the car moves it is still possible, as well understood in the art, to use one of the main rails for an auxiliary or in'dependentline if said line be properly insulated from the opposite rail when the latter is used as a return circuit.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1, an arrangement of apparatus embodying my invention and exhibiting two sections of work ing conductor with their electro -magnetic switches. Fig. 2, illustrates the useof a secondary battery in connection with the system.

Fig. 3, shows a modified arrangement of coils therewith by the operation of switches of any suitablekind, the levers or movable parts of which are indicated at a, o The electromagnets for operating on said switches are typified at B,-B and may be of any desired construction and located in the road bed and protected as may be deemed expedient.

0, 0, indicate the main line of rails upon which the car moves, said rails being employed preferably as a return for the power current taken up by the trolley or collector of the car from the sections A, A and passed through the driving motor here indicated at E.

B, indicates any trolley or collecting device carried by the vehicle and moving on the line of working conductors A, A The trolley is preferably made so as to bridge the insulating spaces between the sections A, A and thereby preserve constant connection with the powerline or circuit. As here shown the trolley is indicated as having two trolley wheels. The device shown herein is merely typical of any means for collecting current from the sections of working conductor and passing it to the motor on the car. The return for the motor is shown as through the car wheels.

H, indicates any suitable controlling device for the motor adapted as well understood in the art to vary the flow of current in said motor and if desired to interrupt the current through the same.

G, G indicate sections of the auxiliary or independent conductor hereinbefore mentioned. Upon these sections, bears a trolley or contact device indicated at D which is carried by the car and may consist of a pair of trolley wheels adapted to preserve connection in passing from one of the sections G, G to the other.

The magnets for the several switches that connect the sections of working conductor with the powcrline are in the connections from the auxiliary or independent conductors G, G to the return, as clearly shown in. the drawings, and the trolley D is connected onthe car to some portion of the power circuit thereon so that current taken up from the sections of working conductor may pass to the sections G, G without passing through the motor or its controlling device which is employed for interrupting the circuit thereof. The trolley or contact device D as here shown is merely typical of any device for preserving con nection between the ear and the sections G, G.

The general operation of the device would be as follows, assuming that the car is over the section of working conductor A and that the switch a is closed :-Under this condition the motor takes current from the power line by way of switch a", and the section of working conductor A by the trolley or collector D, the return being by way of the controller and circuit interrupter II, to the return 0. The switch magnet B is energized by the portion of the power or line current which is taken up by the collector D, and branches through the contact device D section G of auxiliary conductor, switch magnet B to the return 0. The switch that connects the power line and working conductor is thereby held in circuit closing position by the current which is taken up by the trolley D, while resting on section A and which branches from the circuit on the car through the trolley or contact D and section G, of auxiliary conductor to the return through the magnet B By this current the switch a, will be closed thereby connecting the section A, of working conductor with line L, and the switch will be held in circuit closing position when the trolley D, passes full over on to section A, by the current which branches as before from the power circuit on the car but which is now taking current from the power line L, over the section A, of working conductor. When the trolleys D, DE-pass full over on the sections no circumstances interfere with the proper connection of any section of working condoctor upon which the car happens to be with the power line.

It will also be seen that the switch magnets are primarily energized when the car reaches a section by current taken from the power 'line and that they are kept energized by a portion of the power current so long as a car is on the section. To provide, however, for any possible emergency which might render the use of a battery upon the car desirable for operating the switch magnets, I propose in some cases to providea storage battery which may be placed in a branch around the switch magnets and charged by a portion of i the current which flows in the branch before referred to leading from the power circuit on the car. When the storage battery is to be charged in this manner it is preferable to interpose a resistance indicated at R, in the circuit leading to the same and to provide a switch indicated at S, and having contacts and connections as shown. The switch lever itself connects tothe trolley D and has two contacts 5, 6, one of which is connected with the power circuit on the car through a resistance R, while the other connects to one pole of-the storage battery W, the opposite pole of the latter being connected to the return circuit by the car wheel or other means.

When the switch is in the position shown the branch taken from the power circuit is (livided. part flowing to charge the battery and part to operate the switch magnets.

By turning the switch full overon the contact 5, the battery when sufficiently charged is thrown out of connection. Should the emergency arise where the power current is not available for operating the magnet then the switch maybe turned to make full contact with 6, and break connection with 5, thereby rendering the battery available through the switch magnet b, as is obvious.

The resistance R, is desirable for the purpose of cutting down the main line potential so that a low potential battery may be used.

while I have shown the switch magnets as having butasingle coiht'. e.,that which isin the branch completed over the auxilliary conductor, it is obvious that each might have an additional coil in the connection from the power of using lengths of rail I might obviously employ contact points and'a current collector on the car of sufficient length to bridge the intervals between the said contact points. While also I have shown the sections of workin g and auxiliary conductors as parallel with one another they might be in any other desired position and the trolley or contact devices otherwise modified as desired,'the only requisite being that circuit should be made and preserved in the manner before described as the car moves .over the line of rails C; The length of the several sections of working and auxiliary conductor may be, as desired, either less or greater than a car length.

As already indicated my invention is not confined to the form of the working and auxiliary conductors or of the current collecting or contact devices carried by the vehicle. Thus, as indicated in Fig. 4, the several sections of working conductor and auxiliary conductor might take the form of simple contact pieces of small surface area set in the road bed as indicated in Fig. 4, the same being engaged by a contact brush or current collecting device carried by the car and of sufficient linear I extent ordimension to bridge the space beconductor, and this I have indicated in Fig. 4

tween said contact pieces.

As the office of the trolley or contact device D already described-,is simply to preserve the connection between the power circuit of where the two lines of contacts A, A and G,

; chanically common to themboth.

G are shown as engaged by a contact D me- This contact, here indicated as a bar and shown in plan View, is merely typical of any brush or collecting or contact making device mounted on the car in. any suitable manner and constructed in proper way to make good connection with the blocks or contact pieces in the road bed. From the brush or contact D connection is made to the motor in the usual way and as alreadyillustrated in the case of brush D, Fig. 1.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. The combination in an electric railway system, with the several sections of working conductor normally disconnected from the power line and the electromagnetic switches whereby the said sections are throwninto and out of connection with the power line, of a trolley or current collector carried by the vehicle and adapted to preserve connection in passing from one section to another of the Workin g conductor, and switch operating magnets each continuously energized when the ,switch is closed, from the main line over a circuit from an auxiliary conductor normally disconnected from the power line but in continuous connectiontherewith while the car is passing overits section of working conductor.

' 2. The combination, in an electric railway system, of sections of working conductor normally entirely disconnected from the power line, the trolley or current collector carried by the vehicle and adapted to preserve connection in passing from one section to another, electro-magnetic switches for connecting the sections of working conductor to the power line, an'auxiliary line conductor independent of the sections of working conductor, a contact carried by the car bearing on said auxiliary line and connected. with the power circuit on the, car between the motor and the trolley for the working conductor, and. connections from the said auxiliaryconductor through the switch electro-magnets to the return, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, substantially as described, of sections of working conductor normally disconnected from the power line, electro-magnetic switches for the same energized from the main over a partial circuit independent of the motor which completes circuit wit-h the magnets of said switches successively as the trolley progresses, a trolley or current collector carried by the car and adapted to preserve connection in passing from one section to another of working conductor, a branch from the energizing circuit of the switch magnets taken through the storage battery, and a switch for opening the normal energizing circuit for the magnet and. placing the battery on local circuit through the same.

4. The combination, substantially as described, of a power line, sections of working conductor normally disconnected therefrom, electromagnetic switches for connecting the several sections with the power line, a trolley 01' current collector carried by the car and adapted topreserve connection in passing from one section to another, and switch operating magnets each energized by current in a branch from the motor circuit around the motor over an auxiliary conductor which is normally disconnected from the power line on the line of way but is continuously connected therewith while the car is passing over a section of working conductor, as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination with a sectional working conductor normally insulated from the power line, of an auxiliary sectional conductor arranged parallel to the former and also normally out of connection with the power line, a contact carried by the car and arranged to be always in connection with one or more of the sections of said auxiliary conductor, switches for connecting the sections of working conductor with the supply-line, and switch operating magnets each energized to close the switch by a branch of the power current passed over a section of auxiliary conductor as the car enters each section.

6. In an electric railway system, an insu- ICC each member of the other seriespasand for the purpose set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 21st day of July, A. D. 1893.

ALBERT CUSHING CREl-IORE.

Witnesses:

' WM. H. CAPEL,

.flnos. F. CONREY. 

